1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to walls constructed from metal studs and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for retaining spacer/stiffening bars that extend through openings in metal wall studs.
2. Description of the Invention Background
Traditionally, the material of choice for new residential and commercial building framing construction has been wood. However, over the years, the rising costs of lumber and labor required to install wood framing components have placed the dream of owning a newly constructed home out of the economic reach of many families. Likewise such increasing costs have contributed to the slowing of the development and advancement of urban renewal plans in many cities. Other problems such as the susceptibility to fire and insect damage, rotting, etc. are commonly associated with wood building products.
In recent years, in an effort to address such problems, various alternative building materials and construction methods have been developed. For example, a variety of metal stud and frame arrangements have been developed for use in residential and/or commercial structures. Such studs are traditionally C-shaped with a planar web portion and a pair of legs that protrude therefrom. To facilitate the passage of utility members such as wires, pipes, etc. through the studs and to facilitate bracing of the studs, the stud webs generally have a series of openings punched therein. Unfortunately, if the utility member that passes through the opening is un-insulated and fabricated from a metal that is dissimilar from the metal from which the stud is made, a galvanic reaction could be caused between the utility member and the stud resulting corrosion and deterioration of the utility member and the stud. Further, it is possible that the edges of the openings in the stud webs could be jagged and rough which might lead to damage of the utility members or injury to the installer.
Ordinarily, such metal studs, when arranged in conventional vertical relationship, are braced by traverse spacer bars that extend through vertically spaced openings in the webs of the metal studs. Some spacer bars, such as those disclosed in PCT Application No. PCT/US96/01522 and Australian Published Patent Specification No. 30,388, are configured to fit into a complimentary-shaped opening in the stud webs. PCT Application No. PCT/AU93/00246 discloses a spacer bar that appears to have grooves cut therein that permits the bar to be seated into each respective stud opening. However, spacer bars of the types described above may become inadvertently jarred or otherwise moved out of retaining engagement with the studs as the wall construction continues. In an effort to prevent that from happening, spacer bars that are designed to bite into or retainingly engage the stud webs were designed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,784,850 and 6,021,618 to Elderson disclose spacer bars that are designed to retainingly engage the stud webs.
At times, however, even with the types of spacer bars described above, it may be desirable to use additional means to secure the bar to the studs. The additional means ensure that the strength and stiffness of the bridging system is maximized. Thus, brackets have been developed to retain the spacer bars in position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,447 to Biggs and U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,023 to diGirolamo et al. disclose various types of clips and brackets that are attached to the studs to retain various types of spacer bars in position. Such clips are usually either attached to the spacer bars and/or the webs of the studs by conventional fastening means such as welding or metal screws and thus, can led to increased installation costs.